No charges against teen who killed mom's boyfriend

A South Side teenager fatally stabbed his mother's boyfriend Sunday night when he was attacked while trying to stop the man from beating his mother, Chicago police said Monday.

Cook County prosecutors later declined to file criminal charges against the 16-year-old boy, saying he acted in self-defense.

Police said the boyfriend, Christopher Nettles, was quarreling with the teen's mother over the couple's living arrangements in their home in the 6000 block of South Michigan Avenue in the Washington Park neighborhood.

When Nettles began beating the woman, the son tried to intervene and stop the attack, police spokesman Michael Fitzpatrick said.

Nettles punched the teenager in the face, pulled a pocket knife and tried to stab the boy, Fitzpatrick said.

The son rushed to the kitchen, retrieved a knife and stabbed Nettles once in his right side, Fitzpatrick said.

Nettles, 43, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Nettles, who formerly lived in the 6200 block of South Kimbark Avenue, had previous arrests for domestic battery and aggravated battery, authorities said.

The boy was immediately taken into police custody, but after reviewing the case, officials with the state's attorney's office determined the boy acted in self-defense, spokesman Andy Conklin said. He was released without charges.